The Groundhog Day
by girl-with-the-green-eyes
Summary: It's The Rainy Day Women on repeat. "If you’re stuck in Groundhog Day, that makes you Bill Murray and Lindsay Andie McDowell right?”
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

A/N: It's not always that obvious where one day finishes and another starts in O.C land but I reckon that The Rainy Day Women occurred over two days and so this fic is based on the second of those two days. Its a WOP- let me know what you think. Oh, and I borrowed some of the lines from that episode (and I don't own them either).

The Groundhog Day.

"_I wake up every day right here, __right in Punxsutawney, __and it's always February second __and I can't turn it off."_ — Groundhog Day.

Ryan woke up in the pool house to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He covered his head with a pillow and waited for the repetitive high-pitched ring to stop. Lindsay was leaving and all he wanted to do was lie in bed and forget the world existed for a while. Finally the ringing stopped. He sighed and rolled over.

"You seriously need to answer your phone. Man, is this rain ever going to stop?" Seth exclaimed as he barged through the pool house door. He looked over at Ryan's duvet covered form. "You're still in bed?"

Ryan rolled his head slightly so that one eye could see his alarm clock. 7.13. Of course he was still in bed. When got back to the pool house the night before Seth had appeared, bouncing around and talking a mile a minute about how Summer had turned up at the house to find Seth hanging upside down in his Spiderman mask after falling trying to fix the satellite. The last thing Ryan needed right now was to hear about it all over again. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sound of Seth's voice.

Of course, Seth carried on regardless of Ryan's lack of movement. "So Alex gave me my job back and an advance. Operation Summer Breeze is all go."

Operation Summer Breeze? Seth had already bought back the Summer Breeze, or should he say, the Gimme Sex. Somehow he'd hoped that getting Summer back would make Seth a little less crazy. Stupid idea really: Seth was always crazy.

He could hear Seth pacing impatiently, still rambling about how all he needed was this one last grand gesture.

"Ryan!" Seth exclaimed again. "Get out of bed. We need to go and buy my boat back!"

Ryan was fed up of this now. All he wanted was to be left alone to brood for a while. Brood and sleep. God, it was too early. "The boat's in the garage Seth," he muttered into his pillow.

Seth paced his way over to the edge of the bed and stood over Ryan. "Uuh? I sold it for snacks. You reminded me of that last night." He waited a beat for Ryan to respond then added, "You're really not a morning person are you?" When Ryan didn't respond again he grabbed at the edge of the duvet. "Okay. I'm giving you 5 seconds to get up and then I'm taking your covers away. Five, four, three – You're not naked under there are you? Two – You'd better not be naked under there-"

Ryan really didn't need this right now. He pulled the pillow away from his face and grabbed at the covers. "Seth!" he snapped.

Seth shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I'll go and get the boat myself. Just make sure you're here later so we can go over my plan one more time." With that Seth made his way out of the door into the rain.

Ryan rolled over in his bed again, pulling the covers back around him. Finally. He could get some peace and quiet while Seth was out. It had taken Seth ages to get his boat back yesterday so he should be able to get a few more hours sleep inbefore he got back. Hang on? Why was Seth going to buy back a boat he'd already bought back? Now he thought about it Seth had been making less sense than normal. And the rain? Seth had been standing there just a few moments ago with wet hair and shoulders complaining how it hadn't stopped raining. But the rain had stopped last night as he left the pier and by the time he'd made it back to the pool house the sky was clear and full of stars. Now it was raining again and Seth was talking as if yesterday had never happened. Wearing the same clothes he was wearing yesterday.

Ryan got an uneasy sense of deja vu. He grabbed around on his bedside table for his cell phone and flipped it open. The screen read: 7.23 02/23/2005. Yesterday. He threw off the covers in confusion, pulled on some sweatpants and headed to the house, getting soaked on the way from the rain that he was sure had stopped the night before. He leant against the kitchencounter and poured himself some coffee, hoping the world would make more sense with some caffeine in his system. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of the newspaper on the kitchen island. The headline was the same as yesterday; the date was the same as yesterday. Maybe someone had just left yesterday's paper out. Maybe Seth was playing some weird joke on him to stop him brooding over Lindsay. But that still didn't explain the rain. He took his coffee with him into the family room. This was all too much too early in the morning but now he was too wired to go back to bed. He flipped the TV on and settled down on the sofa. Maybe after a few hours of mindless channel surfing the day would begin to make sense.

* * *

"Morning." 

Ryan rubbed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep. He looked up to see Kirsten in the kitchen wearing her pyjamas and robe. She looked hung over. Hadn't she looked hung over yesterday morning too? Sure, Kirsten liked a glass of wine or two but she was no Dawn Atwood. There was no way she would be hung over two days in a row.

"Morning," he replied back. This was getting weird. "Where's Sandy?"

Kirsten looked distant for a moment. "He's, um, he got caught up with some business last night so he stayed at the office." She looked cagey for a moment, concentrating on pouring herself some coffee. When she looked back over at him her usual relaxed expression had returned. "So," she began, changing the subject. "My Dad said the DNA results should be back today."

"Um, yeah." Lindsay hadn't gotten her results back yet? Then she didn't know that she was Caleb's daughter. Which meant she hadn't decided to go to Chicago with her mother yet. A flicker of hope caught in Ryan's stomach. If today was in fact yesterday then he still had a chance to stop Lindsay from leaving. He still had a chance to fix things. Leaving Kirsten to her coffee, Ryan headed back to the pool house and quickly got dressed. Grabbing his bike he started in the direction of Lindsay's house, ignoring the rain as it soaked through to his skin. He could stop her from leaving. He could make everything right. He still had time.

* * *

Ryan rang the bell, remembering how the day before yesterday Lindsay had refused to answer the door. Okay, not the day before yesterday because today was yesterday. Which made today? Ryan shook the water from his hair, still trying to make sense of the whole situation. He was thinking about how someone like Seth was better equipped to deal with this kind of thing when Lindsay opened the door. 

She looked quizzically at the soaking wet boy dripping on the porch. "Ryan. You're soaking!" She stood in the doorway wearing a pink top and grey slacks. For once her hair wasn't tied back but instead hung around her face.

He smiled in relief, silently thanking whoever had decided to give him a second chance. Suddenly it didn't matter whether today was today or yesterday or any day. Lindsay was here. Lindsay hadn't decided to go to Chicago yet. He pulled her close to him and kissed her hello. "Yeah, I forgot how bad the bike idea was in the rain."

She kissed him back. "What are you doing here?"

Ryan ran his hands through her golden red hair. "I missed you."

Again, Lindsay looked at him quizzically. "You saw me last night."

Last night he thought he would never see her again. Except now last night hadn't happened yet. Now he still had a chance to stop her from leaving. "Don't go to Chicago," he blurted out.

Lindsay could see him shivering from the cold. "You're freezing. Come inside. We can talk about this inside." She took his hand and started into the house but Ryan stayed exactly where he was.

"Don't go to Chicago. Stay here. Stay with Caleb. You have people here that care about you. I care about you. Don't go to Chicago." It was everything he had wanted to say when Lindsay had told him she was leaving. But instead he had admitted defeat, put his walls up and given up. Now he had a second chance and there was no way he was letting her go.

Lindsay looked into his sparkling blues eyes and smiled. She moved towards him, wrapped her arms around him and whispered quietly in his ear, "I told you yesterday. I can't be without you. Whatever happens, I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

"Dude!" 

Ryan was just pulling on a dry dark red t-shirt when Seth came bouncing into the pool house. "Hey. I'll help you get the boat out of the car." In the previous version of this day's events Ryan had had to sit through a good few minutes of Seth monologue before he had even mentioned that he needed Ryan to help get the boat from the SUV. At the best of times Seth's conversations were repetitive but an exact repeat of this conversation Ryan could really do without.

"So," Seth started, ignoring Ryan's offer for help, "I got the Summer Breeze back. She's gone through some changes."

Ryan tied the lacesof his boots while Seth continued with his monologue regardless. Apparently some things could not be changed. He stood up and headed towards the door. "I'll help you get the boat out of the car," he repeated and Seth, still talking, began to follow him to the driveway.

* * *

They manoeuvred the boat into the living room and Ryan felt almost overwhelming deja vu. Most of the day so far hadn't played out like the previous version. However, sitting in the Summer Breeze opposite Seth felt far too familiar. 

"So what's the plan?" Ryan asked, knowing full well what Seth was about to say.

"We get the boat in the pool, I get Summer to come over. Walah."

Ryan smiled inwardly, knowing that Seth's plan would fail but that it would all turn out alright. Just as he and Lindsay would.

"Oh, by the way. Our exes: Are dating each other now." Seth grinned and rubbed his hands together.

Ryan's mouth fell open. Not in shock as it had during his previous experience of this conversation but because he couldn't believe he'd forgotten that piece of information. Marissa and Alex. Marissa with a girl. Just as he had the last time he'd had this conversation, Ryan found himself picturing the two girls together. He was a guy, what else was he going to do?

"Lindsay called. The tests are back. She wants us to go with her." Kirsten brought his thoughts firmly back into check.

Lindsay. The DNA test.

* * *

Ryan stood at the pier, soaked to the skin but not feeling a thing. He'd been so sure Lindsay wouldn't leave this time. He'd turned up at her house and stood in her bedroom doorway thinking how different it was all going to be and trying really hard to keep the smile from his face. That was never usually a problem. 

"Hi," he had said.

"Hey," she'd replied, looking just as she had yesterday. He got the now familiar sense of deja vu but brushed it aside. He'd fixed it. This time it was going to be different.

"All packed?" he had asked.

"Getting there."

"Called Caleb? Let him know you're coming?" Okay, so her living with Caleb wasn't the ideal outcome but it was a definite improvement on Chicago.

"No." Lindsay had replied quietly. "Cos I'm not."

"Oh okay," was all Ryan had managed to get out.

"I talked it over with my mom and I'm going to go with her. To Chicago."

"But I thought.." He thought he had changed things. Thought he'd got to her in time and managed to remove the idea of moving to Chicago from her options list. Thought he had managed to persuade her that living with Caleb was for the best. But their conversation played out just as it had before. As he held her in his arms all he could think was that he'd blown it all over again. Someone had handed him a second chance and he'd blown it. He should have tried harder. He should have done more.

As he looked out over the ocean something Lindsay had said caught him suddenly. "_As sorry as it is to leave you I can't leave my mom."_ He'd gone about it all wrong. He should have known that Lindsay would never move in with Caleb. But if he could persuade Renee not to go to Chicago then Lindsay wouldn't go either.

"Hey," Marissa said, appearing next to him holding an umbrella.

Ryan didn't respond but instead turned and began to run down the pier. He had to get home. He had to get to bed. Because maybe -just maybe- he'd wake up tomorrow and it would be today again. Maybe -just maybe- he'd get a second second chance.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews - they really help to get the story out of my head and into the computer! The quote at the start of this chapter is actually part of my horoscope from yesterday (Taurus). Seemed scarily apt so I thought I'd use it to start this chapter. Enjoy.

_

* * *

__"It's an instant replay of yesterday, __complete with every last stumbling block, barrier and impediment you could possibly have imagined as well as a couple you hadn't."_

Ryan woke up in the pool house to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He covered his head with a pillow and waited for the repetitive high-pitched ring to stop. Lindsay was leaving and all he wanted to do was lie in bed and forget the world existed for a while. Finally the ringing stopped. He sighed and rolled over.

"You seriously need to answer your phone. Man, is this rain ever going to stop?" Seth exclaimed as he barged through the pool house door. He looked over at Ryan's duvet covered form. "You're still in bed?"

The sound of Seth's voice cut through the sleepy haze in Ryan's mind. He removed the pillow slowly from his head, taking in Seth's wet hair and shoulders, the sound of the rain on the roof. He looked over at his alarm clock: 7.13.

Seth barely acknowledged Ryan's movement and carried on regardless. "So, Alex gave me my job back and an advance. Operation Summer Breeze is all go." He started rambling on about how all he needed was this one last grand gesture.

The exact same words. The exact same sequence of events. The exact same day. A hint of a smile crossed Ryan's lips. Just a hint, nothing more. A second second chance.

Seth only noticed the fact that Ryan was still in bed. "Ryan!" He exclaimed again. "Get out of bed. We need to go and buy my boat back!"

But Ryan wasn't listening. All he could hear was Lindsay's voice over and over: _'As sorry as it is to leave you, I can't leave my mom.'_

"Okay. I'm giving you 5 seconds to get up and then I'm taking your covers away. Five, four, three – You're not naked under there are you? Two –You'd better not be naked under there-"

Ryan threw off his covers and stood up.

Seth flung his hands to his face, covering his eyes. "Dude! I know we're practically brothers and all, share a lot of stuff, but that-" he removed one hand from his face and gestured blindly at what he assumed was Ryan's naked form. "That I don't need to see!"

"Go get your boat back," Ryan told Seth, making his way to the bathroom. "I've got some stuff I need to do but I'll be about later so you can go over your plan one more time."

Seth parted his fingers slightly, catching a glimpse of boxers before Ryan closed the bathroom door.

* * *

Ryan cycled as if his life depended on it. He barely noticed the soaking material of his clothes sticking to his skin. It was only when he reached Lindsay's house and saw all the blinds closed that he realised just how early it was. Ryan leant his bike against the porch steps and then sat himself down out of the rain. He looked at his watch. 7.58. That was okay. That was good actually. That gave him some time to work out exactly what he needed to say to Renee. Today he was going to do it. Today he was going to fix this. Today Lindsay was going to stay. 

Ryan saw the lights come on through the blinds and jumped up to knock on the door. Renee Wheeler opened it slowly, her bathrobe tied firmly around her waist.

"Ryan. Hi," she said to the wet and slightly shivering boy standing on her porch. "Lindsay's still sleeping."

"Actually I wanted to talk to you Ms. Wheeler," he explained, resisting the temptation to jump straight into the speech he'd been preparing for the last hour or so.

Renee nodded slightly and opened the door fully to let Ryan through. "I was just about to make some coffee if you want some."

"Yeah," he replied. Sitting out on the porch it had all seemed so simple. Talk to Renee, convince her to stay, Lindsay stays too. Now that he was actually in their house it didn't seem quite so easy.

"Why don't you go and dry yourself off while I make it. There are towels in the bathroom," Renee suggested, as she made her way to the kitchen.

He dried himself off the best he could and then went to the kitchen. Renee sat at the table nursing a cup of coffee. Another cup sat across from her and Ryan took the seat in front of it. "Lindsay told me about Chicago," he began.

"It's for the best Ryan. This whole Caleb saga has been hanging over my head for too long. We should have moved years ago."

"Lindsay needs the chance to get to know her father."

"If Caleb is her father," Renee replied quietly.

Ryan knew Caleb was. "Then Lindsay deserves the chance to get to know him," he repeated.

Renee looked at Ryan quizzically. "You don't even like Caleb."

"True." That he couldn't argue with. In a perfect world Caleb wouldn't be Lindsay's father. He wouldn't even be Kirsten's father. Hell, in a perfect world Caleb wouldn't be in any of their lives. But he was. "I know what it's like not to have a father Ms. Wheeler, and if Lindsay has the chance to get to know hers – even if it is Caleb – then she should have the chance to."

She looked him in the eye. "I'm not going to make Lindsay come with me if she doesn't want to. If she wants to stay I won't stop her."

After talking to Ms. Wheeler, Ryan excused himself and went to see Lindsay. He felt confident that even if Ms. Wheeler still decided to go to Chicago she wouldn't take Lindsay with her. Still, he wanted to talk to Lindsay and try and get the idea out of her head too. Just to be on the safe side. He knocked gently on her door, not really wanting to wake her if she was still asleep. She peered out from behind the door, her hair falling around her shoulders as she yawned slightly.

"Ryan. I thought I heard your voice. What are you doing here?" She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to make it more presentable.

Ryan took in her blue vest and shorts then pulled her towards his damp body. "I missed you," he whispered as he went to kiss her.

Lindsay pulled away slightly, self-conscious at still being in her pyjamas. "I haven't brushed my teeth yet."

Again, Ryan went in for the kiss. "I don't care." This time his lips brushed hers and she let him. "Don't go to Chicago. Stay here. Stay with Caleb. You have people here that care about you. I care about you. Don't go to Chicago."

Lindsay looked into his sparkling blues eyes and smiled. She ran her hand through his damp hair, "I told you yesterday. I can't be without you. Whatever happens, I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

After leaving Lindsay's he'd helped Seth with the boat and gone with Kirsten to get the DNA test results. The doctor came into the room, picked up a file on the desk and explained, "Our results demonstrate we have a match. Caleb Nichol is the father of Lindsay Wheeler Gardner." 

Caleb rose to hug Lindsay. "I knew you were my daughter."

Ryan caught Renee's eye across the room. She nodded at him slightly as if in reference to their earlier conversation. Ryan looked at Lindsay, trying to tell if she looked different compared with the last two versions of these events. Was she taking the news of Caleb being her father better this time? He couldn't be sure. But Renee had acted differently and that was the important thing.

Ryan returned to the house with Kirsten, promising Lindsay he would be over later to help her move her stuff to Caleb's. The sounds of Boyz2Men could be heard from the driveway. Time to indulge Seth in his moping. Ryan grabbed an apple from the kitchen then made his way up the stairs. Everything had gone according to plan so he had time for a little Seth banter.

"Ah, Boyz2Men huh?" Ryan began as he entered Seth's room and settled into the chair next to the music system. If he heard that song one more time it was going to become permanently etched into his brain. Seth didn't have bad taste in music -Ryan didn't have a clue who any of it was most of the time- but it wasn't bad. It was obviously someone's idea of a sick joke that the day Seth decided to listen to 'End of the Road' on endless repeat would be the day Ryan had to relive. Vocal harmony groups? One step too far. "Guess it didn't go well." Guess? He knew for a fact that hadn't gone well. But then, if you looked at the remaining events that would happen to Seth that day then maybe it had gone well.

"I just hope they get the sex over with early. Just join the mile high club over the Atlantic or something."

"I'm sorry man."

"What happened with Lindsay?" Seth asked, propping up his pillow so he could look at Ryan.

Ryan had to resist a smirk at that question. Where the hell should he start? He actually contemplated telling Seth but decided it would take too long and they both had places to be. He answered simply, "She's Caleb's daughter."

"Hey, that's great." Seth paused. He shared Ryan's less than enthusiastic opinion of Caleb. "Wait, I don't know. Is it?"

Ryan shrugged. It wasn't great but it was all he had to work with. He went on to explain, "She's moving in with him. She went home to talk everything over with her mom. You wanna…" In the previous versions of events Ryan had asked Seth if he had wanted to help move Lindsay to take his mind off Summer. Now the words caught in his throat. What had he just said?

_She went home to talk everything over with her mom. _

"Fuck," he muttered aloud, realising what he had just said. He'd been so sure at the doctor's office that he'd managed to change things by talking to Renee that he'd ignored the fact they were going home to talk. He knew Renee wouldn't force Lindsay to leave but a mother-daughter chat could definitely persuade Lindsay she should.

"Want to what?" Seth asked, watching Ryan get up from his chair suddenly.

Ryan glanced over at Seth on his way out of the room. "I gotta do something. Don't sit here and mope."

Seth shrugged his shoulders at Ryan's exit. "Sherman Oaks it is then," he muttered to himself as he covered his head with his duvet.

* * *

Renee Wheeler opened the door to Ryan for the second time today, only this time she looked guilty. "Ryan. Hi. Lindsay's in her room." 

He caught the look on her face and knew. "She's going to Chicago with you," he stated, pausing in the entrance hall.

Renee smiled almost apologetically. "I think you should talk to Lindsay."

Anger swelled within him. She had told him she wouldn't make Lindsay go. She had agreed that Lindsay needed to get to know her father. He just managed to keep the anger out of his voice when he stated again, "She's going to Chicago with you."

Renee nodded slowly. With those movements Ryan's anger turned into defeat. He had failed again. Still, he went through the motions, went to Lindsay's room, heard her explanation again. As she hugged him goodbye he stood there rigid. All he wanted to do was get away. He'd failed and all he wanted was to stand on the pier and feel the rain coursing over him again. Washing him clean. Washing the day away.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it. Not the O.C, not Groundhog day (the holiday or the film) or the quote at the beginning.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Much appreciated. Oh, and Beachtree - The whole Ryanasking Seth: "You wanna..." and then muttering "F#" was completely unintentional (didn't realise what I'd written until I read your review)but I'm glad you liked it. It seems the Ho!Yay justwrites itself!  
On to Chapter three.

Chapter 3.

"_We all begin with good intent  
Love was raw and young  
We believed that we could change ourselves  
The past could be undone."_ – Fallen, Sarah Mclachlan.

Ryan rapped lightly on Lindsay's window. His clothes were soaked through from the rain. But this time he was prepared. This time he had a spare set of clothes in his backpack. Spending all day in damp clothes was starting to drive him crazy. That, and the ring of the cell phone that kept waking him up. After going through the ever-repetitive conversation with Seth that morning he had laid in bed a while going over the events of the day. He had been contemplating just staying there all day brooding when inspiration struck. Once again he'd gotten on his bike and cycled over to Lindsay's house. But this time he wasn't going to wait around to talk to Renee. He knew now that going through Lindsay's mom wasn't going to get Lindsay to stay. Maybe stopping Lindsay talking to her mom would.

No answer. He rapped louder. Hearing movement behind the blinds he knocked again. The blinds raised and Lindsay peered out through the raindrop-covered glass. She pulled up the window.

"Ryan? What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?" She moved out of his way as he climbed through the window.

Once again he took in her bed attire of a blue vest and shorts. Took in the way her golden red hair fell about her shoulders. Once again he pulled her into his arms, brushing aside the memories of holding her as she explained that she was leaving. That hadn't happened yet. Today was a new day.

Lindsay pulled away as he went to kiss her. "What are you doing here?" she asked again.

Ryan tilted his head to one side looking sheepish. "I thought we could spend the day together," he explained. "Get some thin crust pizza?"

Lindsay pushed him lightly. "Pizza? It's not even 8am!" But her eyes were laughing, for once not showing the fear and sadness that had clouded them for too long.

Ryan shrugged, the corners of his mouth curling into a half-smile. "Whatever you want then. It'll help take your mind off the DNA test."

She couldn't resist the sparking blue eyes, the trademark Ryan Atwood almost smile. "Okay, yeah. I'd like that."

* * *

Lindsay crawled the car along the road, keeping a safe distance between them and the Benz in front. Ryan had suggested going to see a movie over breakfast at the diner. But all the roads were jammed with the rain and they'd barely made it out of the diner parking lot. Breakfast had been great. Laughing, joking, acting just like they had before the bombshell announcement by Caleb at Chrismukkah. During all the versions of the day Ryan had gone through so far he'd been so caught up in trying to get Lindsay to stay that he'd almost forgotten why he was trying to. He looked over at the girl sitting in the driver's seat, tapping the steering wheel rhythmically as she sang quietly along to the radio. The smart, beautiful girl he'd fallen for in AP Physics, with the quick wit, who babbled when she was nervous.

Lindsay caught him staring at her and turned to look at him as she put on the handbrake. "What?" she smiled at him.

Where did he start? "Nothing."

She punched him playfully. "What?"

"Nothing," Ryan replied, grinning back at her.

Lindsay gestured at the traffic around them. "We're gonna miss the previews."

"So lets forget the movie." Truth be told, watching a movie wasn't Ryan's first choice of things to do in a darkened room with Lindsay. His first choice involved listening to some Journey and a lot less clothes. But he couldn't risk going back to hers or the Cohen's. There was too much of a chance that they'd bump into Renee or Kirsten or Seth and something would happen that would lead to Lindsay deciding to leave Newport. Ryan wasn't taking any chances today. Especially not when she was right here next to him. "We could take a walk on the beach," he suggested.

"In the rain?"

The rain. The rain was starting to drive him crazy. But the idea of seeing Lindsay with wet clothes clinging to her curves? That was a good idea. "Yeah, in the rain."

* * *

"Ryan?" Seth bounded into the pool house but Ryan was nowhere to be seen. Seth was sure Ryan had said he'd be around when he got back with the Summer Breeze. Or the Gimme Sex as she was now christened. Okay, so it wasn't exactly as he'd planned but Seth was still confident it would work. He just needed Ryan to help him get the boat from the car to the pool and then he could phone Summer. Summer plus the boat in the pool and Walah! Seth would get Summer back. He just needed to get the boat in the pool. And lifting and carrying? Not his thing. Where was Ryan?

* * *

Ryan leant over and brushed a damp piece of hair behind Lindsay's ear as she reached forward for another French frie. They'd wandered along the shoreline for a while and then settled under the shelter of a lifeguard tower to watch the lightning flash over the ocean. When the cold began to get to them they'd run back to the car and made out for a while in the back seat. Not quite the darkened room Ryan would have liked but curling up in the back seat kissing Lindsay was good enough for him. Kissing Lindsay anywhere was good enough for him. When the grumbling of both their stomachs started to out-compete the sound of rolling thunder they had headed back to the diner. This day -this version of this day- Ryan would be quite happy to repeat over and over.

The high-pitched ring of a cell phone interrupted Ryan's thoughts. Lindsay reached across the table for her purse. "I should get that."

Ryan pulled her hands back towards the table. Ringing phones were bad. They reminded him of waking up and starting this day over again. "Leave it," he suggested gently.

Lindsay pulled her hands back to her purse. "It's probably my mom about the test results."

Fear crossed Ryan's face. As the day had worn on he'd managed to push the DNA test results out of his mind. "Can't it wait? We're having fun." Ryan just about managed to control his urge to grab the phone from her and hurl it as far as he could.

Lindsay shook her head and flipped the phone open. "Hi Mom."

Ryan listened, hearing Renee on the other end of the line saying the results were ready and Lindsay replying that she would be there in half an hour. His fists clenched in frustration. It had all been going so well.

She hung up the phone. "Guess it's time to find out if Caleb is my dad." She looked apprehensive and Ryan saw his chance.

"You could leave it until tomorrow. One more day without knowing isn't going to hurt." He reached over and took her hands in his. "Let's not let Caleb spoil today."

"Today has been great," Lindsay smiled, explaining, "It's really helped take my mind off everything. But you said it yourself: It's not going to stop until I know the truth."

"Maybe its better you don't know," he tried, clutching at straws. Why had he been so insistent yesterday on her needing to know who her father was? Why couldn't he play that day over and over? Then he could have agreed with her when she said she didn't want to know.

"You want to protect me, I get that. But I need to know Ryan. I need to know if Caleb's my dad." She tried to remove her hands from his but he wouldn't let go.

Lindsay couldn't leave that diner. Everything had been going so well. If she went and found out she was Caleb's daughter there was too big a chance the day would end with her deciding to move to Chicago. Again.

"Ryan!" she exclaimed trying again the pull away from him. A number of the other customers looked over, hearing the raised voice.

Ryan saw them but didn't care. She could not leave. Fear clouded his blue eyes. "Don't go. Don't get those results."

"Ryan! You're hurting me!" She looked angry. But she also looked scared.

"I think you should let the lady go." A tall man stood at the edge of their booth, dressed in a dark suit and tie. He was probably around Sandy's age. He was one of the customers who'd looked over when Lindsay had raised her voice.

Ryan looked up at him, his blue eyes clouded with an anger that had been building in him with every repeat of that rainy day. "Stay out of it," he muttered under his breath.

"You need to let the lady go," the man repeated and starting moving in to physically remove Lindsay's hands from Ryan's.

Ryan snapped. This guy, this random stranger, was not going to wreck everything he'd done today. He let go of Lindsay's hands, stood up and swung a right hook all in one fluid motion. Ryan looked down at his fist and then across at the man leaning against the booth. He was holding his jaw with a look of shock and pain on his face. The rest of the world faded into the background as he heard the chime of the bell above the door. He spun around as the door swung shut and the bell chimed again. Lindsay. He raced towards the door, pushing away the counter staff trying to hold him back. He reached the parking lot only to see Lindsay's battered car pulling out of the parking space.

"Lindsay!" He chased after the car as it turned out into the road. The road that by some evil twist of fate was clear for the first time that day. He chased it until he could no longer see the outline of the rear-end car through the sheets of rain. Exhausted, Ryan fell to his knees on the road verge. "Lindsay."

* * *

He'd knelt on the verge for a long time. After the tenth car had honked its horn at the strange figure by the side of the road, Ryan had lifted his head. He'd taken another walk along the beach, trying unsuccessfully to block out the images of him and Lindsay from earlier that day. By the time he reached the Cohen household the night sky was clear and full of stars. He was absolutely exhausted and all he wanted was to curl up in a ball and forget the day had ever happened. He'd failed again. He didn't know how many more times he could go through this. Ryan made his way round the back of the house so as not to hear the giggles and snippets of conversation coming from Seth's room. After the day he'd just had he really didn't need to hear Seth and Summer making up. That would be too much and he had no energy left. He reached for the pool house door handle when he heard someone call his name.

When he heard Seth call his name. "Ryan? Mom? Dad?"

Ryan looked over at the main house. Seth was hanging upside down by a rope wearing his Spider Man mask. "Seth?"

"Ryan!" Seth exclaimed at the sound of his friend's voice, tilting his head in the direction of Ryan in a very Spider Man-like way. "For the love of Jesus and Moses get me down!"

Ryan just stared at him. Seth and Summer should be up in Seth's room getting back together. Where was Summer? "Where's Summer?"

"Probably joining the mile high club with Zach. Way to make a guy who's been hanging upside down for the last two hours –who's circulation no longer reaches his feet by the way- feel better." Seth gestured with his hands while he talked. Hanging upside down with his hands waving about made him look like some giant, Spider Man bat.

Ryan stood rooted to the spot. Summer hadn't come back for Seth. There had been no Spider Man kiss in the rain. What had happened? What had he done?

Seth hung there, looking in confusion at his best friend's lack of movement. "Ryan! Seriously! Get me down!"

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: still don't own any of it.

Chapter 4.

"_It makes a sound like thunder, it makes me feel like rain.  
And like a fool who will never see the truth,  
I keep thinking something's gonna change_." – Patty Smyth and Don Henley. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough.

Ryan cycled as fast as his legs would allow, feeling the rain lashing at his face. His hands were numb, knuckles white from holding the handlebars too tight. Damn it – he was late. This was the fastest route he knew, not the actual fastest way between Lindsay's house and the Cohen's but the one with the least obstacles. He glanced down at his watch: 3.27. The Gimme Sex had to be in the living room by 3.32 if Seth was to get Summer back. There was little chance he'd make it on time but he still had to try.

After the soul-destroying day when he'd scared Lindsay away and returned home to find a Summer-less Seth, all Ryan had wanted was to lie in bed and leave the world to it. He covered his head with a pillow when the ringing of the cell phone woke him up and tried to ignore Seth when he entered the room.

"You seriously need to answer your phone. Man, is this rain ever going to stop?" A beat before Seth added, "You're still in bed?" Another beat and then, "So Alex gave me my job back and an advance. Operation Summer Breeze is all go." Seth pacing impatiently, rambling on about how all he needed was one last grand gesture. Ryan had heard it all before. He was pretty sure he was going to hear it all again. But it was the tone in Seth's voice that drove him crazy most. The absolute confidence that he was going to get Summer back. It was a stark contrast to the Seth he'd encountered at the end of the last day. Completely and utterly defeated. Ryan could barely cope with his own failure. Failing Seth as well was too much.

"Ryan!" Seth exclaimed again. "Get out of bed. We need to go and buy my boat back!"

When Ryan didn't respond again he grabbed at the edge of the duvet. "Okay. I'm giving you 5 seconds to get up and then I'm taking your covers away. Five, four, three – You're not naked under there are you? Two – You'd better not be naked under there-"

Ryan didn't move. He couldn't do this anymore.

"One!" Seth pulled at the covers and the pillow, revealing a Ryan in nothing more than black boxers. He let his breath out dramatically, "Phew! Really glad you weren't naked. Now get up so we can get my boat back!"

Ryan just lay there coverless. It was his stand against the world. He was not going to play these crazy games anymore. He was done.

Seth cocked his head to one side. "What's wrong with you?" He began to sit down in the chair by the door but changed his mind and continued to pace up and down the room.

Ryan grabbed for his sheets, pulling them back over himself. "Nothing," he offered. "I'm… I'm just tired."

"Well you look like you could use some Boyz2Men and we don't even know if Grandpa is Lindsay's dad yet." As self-obsessed as Seth was, he had still managed to pinpoint what was bothering Ryan.

Except Lindsay wasn't someone Ryan wanted to think about today. The image of him physically trying to stop her leaving the diner was too clear in his mind already. That, plus the image of Seth dangling upside down with no Summer to rescue him was too much to bear. He couldn't fix it. He didn't know how to fix it. But he did know how to get rid of Seth. "Go and buy your boat back. I'll be around later to go over your plan one more time."

Seth looked at him slightly strangely but shrugged. He had places to go, boats to buy back, Summer to win back. "See ya later then."

As Ryan lay in bed that day he'd grown more and more frustrated. As much as he wanted to just stay there and brood he still felt like there was some chance he could fix it. Out of all the days he'd been given to start over – and there were a lot he would have liked the chance at- this was the day he had been given. He just needed to work out what he needed to do. He'd realised he'd been too quick, tried to change too much too quickly. Punch first, think later. The Atwood philosophy. He needed to be more methodical. In science experiments you only changed one variable at a time. Since then that was what he'd been doing. Sometimes he just let the day play out as it had the first time. Took in all the twists and turns of the day and how everything fitted together. Other days he tried changing things: A talk with Caleb, a different attempt at the conversation with Renee, trying to persuade Kirsten to talk to Lindsay. Still no luck.

He was cycling as fast as he could to help Seth get the boat into the living room on time. If the boat was in the living room a second later than 3.32, Seth would make the phone call to Summer too late. She'd have already retrieved Princess Sparkle from her bedroom and would be on her way to the airport with Zach. Without that phone call, Seth would have no reason to phone her again and leave a message apologising. No message, no Summer realising she couldn't go to Italy with Zach, no Spider Man kiss in the rain.

And now Ryan was late. He'd been making some headway with Lindsay but he couldn't handle the idea of getting her to stay at the expense of Seth losing Summer. 3.31. He was in the driveway now and could see Seth struggling with boat. He jumped off his bike, letting it slide to the ground on the wet concrete. 3.32. Too late.

* * *

Ryan knocked lightly on the doorframe. It was that time again. "_I talked it over with my mom and I'm going to go with her. To Chicago."_ Sometimes it came out differently. Sometimes he'd change enough during the day that the words would be different. But the result still ended up the same.

"_I talked to Kirsten. You're really lucky to have her. And I'm really lucky to have my mom. I can't leave her Ryan."_

"_I talked to Caleb and I can't move in with him. I'm not ready to be Caleb Nichol's daughter yet."_

"I talked it over with my mom and I'm going to go with her. To Chicago."

It was worse on the days when he knew he would be going home to find a Summer-less Seth. Ryan was tired. Tired of screwing up, tired of trying to think up new ways to fix things. Tired. Lindsay wrapped her arms around him after explaining that she didn't want to be Caleb Nichol's daughter, that her mom was the only real family she had.

Ryan didn't seize up anymore. He hugged her back with all the energy he could. "Can I stay a while?"

Lindsay nodded through her tears. He went over to the bed and removed the boxes from on top of it. He didn't want to feel the rain coursing over him at the pier. He didn't want Marissa's gentle hand on his back, trying to comfort him. He didn't want to go home and see Seth dangling upside down. He just wanted to be here with Lindsay.

He lay down on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other outstretched. She lay down next to him, curling up with her head on his chest. Ryan wrapped his arm around her and stroked her hair slowly. He could feel his heavy eyelids beginning to close but fought to keep them open. If he went to sleep everything would be erased. Moments like this were the only respite he had in the endless repeating day. Yes, Lindsay was still leaving. But right now she was here and he wanted to feel her in his arms for as long as possible. A little time-out from the constant worrying and planning. A little rest. His body relaxed into the mattress, sleep winning out.

* * *

Ryan woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He opened his eyes to the familiar sight of the pool house. Same place. Same time. Same Day.

TBC

Apologies for the short chapter but I needed it to get where I want to go... Coming next: Seth finds out about Ryan's Groundhog Day.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

Chapter 5.

"_What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?" _Groundhog Day.

**Ryan only barely heard the phone ringing. His head hurt. His whole body hurt. Why was it that a whole day could reset itself but somehow his hangover remained? And now Seth was there, babbling on as usual. His head felt hazy with leftover alcohol. But the sound of Seth's voice triggered something. Somewhere in the deep realms of his mind lay the hint of a memory……..**

He fumbled with the pool house door. It wouldn't open. He pushed and pulled but it wouldn't budge. All he wanted to do was crash. Actually no, he wanted to eat and then crash. Fridge. There was always food in the fridge in the kitchen. He staggered over to the main house, swaying this way and that but still just about keeping his balance. The lights were off and he didn't bother turning them on. The glare would only hurt his eyes. Food. Food then sleep. That was all he needed right now. There had to be a plate of leftover chicken in the fridge. There was always a plate of leftover something in there.

The world was spinning. Somehow he'd managed to stumble his way home. His bike was still chained up outside the bar he'd just spent the evening in. Not that it mattered, as soon as morning came it would be right back in the garage again. Drinking the day away was something he'd never thought he'd end up doing. That was a Dawn Atwood thing. He could kind of see why his mom had turned to alcohol. Living in Chino, knowing nothing would ever change, everything always turning out the same. That was something he knew a lot about now. This day, this repetitive day, he couldn't fix. He'd tried. Tried everything he could. It was driving him crazy. It had driven him crazy. When he'd failed to make Lindsay stay again he'd headed towards the pier. A sudden urge for a beer had grabbed him. A couple of beers to give his mind a rest from all the thinking. He'd made his way to a little musty bar in the numbered streets, grateful for the fake I.D in his wallet. It felt good to be somewhere different, doing something different. Shoot a few rounds of pool, drink a few beers. His brain felt relieved. He felt relieved. Numb. Numb was good. It made a change from all the thinking and planning.

Ryan swayed from side to side in front of the open fridge door.

"Hey. Thought you were one of the parents."

Ryan looked up to see two Seths standing in the arch between the kitchen and living room. His head began to spin as he tried to focus the two blurry images into one.

Seth was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "And parents would be a bad thing because yes, that was Summer just leaving. The craziest things happened tonight-" Seth switched on the main light and caught sight of Ryan swaying in front of the open fridge.

Ryan attempted in a very uncoordinated fashion to cover his eyes from the light and in doing so accidentally knocked one of the bottles of wine from the fridge door. It fell to the floor, smashing into a puddle of chardonnay and glass.

"Whoa," Seth exclaimed, joining Ryan by the fridge. He took in Ryan's bloodshot half-focused eyes. "You're drunk!"

"Mmm," Ryan mumbled, stumbling back and resting haphazardly on the kitchen island counter.

"Then it's a good thing the parents aren't home," Seth decided, closing the fridge door. "Things must have gone really badly with Lindsay."

"Always." Ryan leant back against the counter. That was an understatement. It started to laugh. It wasn't really funny, the alcohol just made it seem that way. Lindsay was leaving and he was drunk. Two things he'd never had imagined a few weeks ago.

Seth gave Ryan a worried look. Ryan was not one for laughing and especially not the semi-hysterical laughter he was currently exhibiting. He was also not one for drinking. Something really bad must have happened. Something bad enough for Seth to put his self-absorbed mentality to one side and resist the urge to tell Ryan all about the night he'd just had with Summer.

Ryan stumbled again and almost knocked a plate of bagels onto the floor.

Seth looked Ryan up and down. He needed to get him out of the kitchen before his mom and dad got home. "We need to get you to the pool house."

Ryan rubbed at his eyes. "Pool house. Yeah." Seth hooked an arm underneath Ryan's and began leading him towards the door, trying to manoeuvre around the broken glass as he did so. Supporting Ryan's weight was harder than he thought. If this was going to become a common occurrence he was going to have to start thinking about working out.

"What happened Ryan?" Seth asked gently. "What happened with Lindsay?"

Ryan shrugged slightly as they made their way outside. "She's leaving. Always leaving. Can't change it. Can't do anything." As he said the words his body slumped in defeat, catching Seth off balance and causing them both to stumble backwards onto the step.

"Okay buddy. We'll do this in two legs. Kind of like a relay," Seth smirked. Although something really bad must have happened for Ryan to get into this state it was still quite funny to see him so inebriated.

Ryan kept talking quietly, almost to himself. "Always today. Never tomorrow. The clock just turns right back. Can't change it. Can't change anything. Lindsay leaves, Always leaves. Stuck. Stuck in today."

Ryan was babbling. Ryan didn't babble. He brooded. Seth babbled. And drinking – that was Marissa's thing. Ryan really wasn't acting like himself. And he really wasn't making sense. He could see that Ryan was slowly beginning to fall asleep sitting on the step. There was no way he'd be able to move him if he was unconscious.

"Let's get you to the pool house before the parents show up and catch you drunk." He tried to get Ryan to stand but Ryan refused to move.

"Let them find me. Doesn't matter. The day will just start over and none of this will have happened."

Seth looked amused. "Buddy, you're gonna wish you had the power to turn back time when you wake up with a hangover tomorrow."

Ryan shook his head, annoyed. Seth didn't get it. No one got it. "Not super powers Seth. Groundhog Day."

Seth looked at him quizzically. "You get drunk and think you're in a Bill Murray movie? We seriously need to get you to the pool house." Seth tried one more time to get Ryan to move but he still refused to co-operate.

"Same day. Over and over and over," Ryan muttered.

"Okay." Seth decided the best way to get Ryan to move was to humor him. Because there was no way he was going to be able to carry him by himself. " So when you wake up and its today again then just remind me of this conversation."

Ryan tilted his head and glared at Seth. Except the drunk cross-eyed expression that showed on his face took away any of the annoyance the look was meant to portray. Seth didn't get it. "You won't remember this conversation. Won't have happened yet."

Seth thought about this for a moment. He was one of the few people in the world who thought seriously about seemingly impossible things. Example: He regularly tried to use the force to move a ringing telephone towards him and often checked to see if he'd developed x-ray vision when he walked passed the girl's locker room. "So tomorrow-"

"Today," Ryan interjected. Seth really didn't get it.

"Okay, today. When it's today again tell me something to convince me. Tell me something you'd only know if you were stuck in a Groundhog Day. Like, I don't know?" He thought for a moment for something only he knew. "Okay, tell me how I tried to part the rain between the house and the pool house like Moses parted the sea when you didn't answer the phone this morning so I wouldn't get wet."

Even in his drunken state Ryan could see the sense that made. "Okay," he nodded. If he'd been less drunk he would have realised that he now had a way of convincing Seth. He'd contemplated telling him before but the only evidence he had to persuade him was the Spider Man kiss. And by the time that happened and Seth was convinced it would be too late in the day for him to help in any way.

"Deal." Seth could see he'd won Ryan over. He was looking less stubborn. "So let's get you to bed."

Ryan co-operated this time. The world was spinning so badly now that he really needed to lie down.

Seth helped Ryan through the pool house doors and over to the bed. "So get some sleep and we'll do the whole day over. It'll be great. We can get tattoos or something."

Ryan collapsed face first onto the bed and Seth, satisfied of his good dead of getting Ryan to bed before the parents found him in a drunken state, headed to the door. He paused at the entrance and turned round. "And if tomorrow doesn't turn out to be today I'll see you in the kitchen for a breakfast of coffee and Tylenol to tell you all about Summer not going to Italy." He grinned, thinking over the crazy night.

Ryan stirred slightly on the bed. "Yeah, yeah," he murmured into the mattress. "Spider Man kiss. Already know."

Seth's grin widened, caught up in the memory. "Man, that kiss. Spider Man wasn't the best movie – not on par with X-Men- but seriously, that…." He stopped in his tracks. "That kiss. I haven't told you about that kiss." How the hell did Ryan know? He turned on his heels. Maybe all the nonsense Ryan had been babbling about Groundhog Day was true. "Jesus and Moses! You're telling the truth!" He covered the ground between the door and the bed in two steps. "Ryan!"

But Ryan was already deep in an alcohol induce slumber...

**Seth stood over him, holding the edge of the bed covers. "Okay. I'm giving you 5 seconds to get up and then I'm taking your covers away. Five, four, three – You're not naked under there are you? Two – You'd better not be naked under there-"**

**"You just tried to part the rain like Moses parted the sea because you didn't want to get wet on your way over here," Ryan said. A half-smile caught on his lips as Seth stopped and did a double take.**

**"No I didn't," Seth tried, looking sheepish. He walked over to the blind-covered windows. "How did you…"**

**Ryan couldn't help but grin, and then wince as pain throbbed at his temples. Suddenly the pain didn't matter so much. It would take some explaining but Seth would believe him. If anyone was going to believe him it would be Seth. He was Seth Cohen afterall. Today was going to be different. Today he wasn't going to be alone.**

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I'm still free of worldly possessions so none of it belongs to me.

A/N: First of all a big thank you for the reviews - they really help keep the story ticking over. This is just a quick update while I work on the rest of Ryan and Seth' s day. I had a nice little plan worked out and now the story seems to have taken on a life of its own!  
I hope you don't mind the bold. I would put the flashbacks in italics butthey'requitelong and I find that much italic hard to read.  
Anyway, this A/N will end up being longer than the story if I keep typing. So read, review, and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 6.

"_It does you no good to pretend child  
You've made a hole much too big to mend  
And it looks like you lose again, my friend  
Call on your rainy day man."  
_– Rainy Day Man, James Taylor

**Getting Seth's attention had been easy. Keeping it was another matter entirely. Ryan had managed to convince Seth of his Groundhog Day situation but now all Seth wanted to know about was himself and Summer.**

**Seth was pacing around the pool house excitedly, while Ryan, after pulling on a pair of jeans and grey t-shirt made himself comfortable on the bed.**

"**So, I get Summer back right? I mean, that's not why you're repeating the day? Because my plan, my plan is going to work right? A little trip on the Summer breeze. How could that not work?"**

"**You get Summer back," Ryan repeated for the third time, rolling his eyes slightly. He needed to get Seth back on track if he was going to be of any use in getting Lindsay to stay.**

"**So we need to go and buy back the Summer Breeze. Alex gave me an advance, it's all go."**

**Ryan couldn't help but smirk. "It's called the Gimme Sex now." **

**Seth sat down in the chair by the door and threw Ryan a withering look. "She, Ryan. Boats are she." He took a moment to digest the rest of Ryan's sentence, his eyes widening. "Gimme Sex? He renamed her the Gimme Sex? He turned my boat into a slut!"**

**Again, Ryan didn't want Seth to get sidetracked by his own thoughts. "Two phones calls, that's all you need to get Summer back. Lindsay is the problem." He repeated.**

**Somehow Seth managed to focus. "Okay, right. Lindsay." He went into typical Seth thinking pose. His fingers flicked against each other rhythmically, held just below his chin, as he thought out loud. "You need to talk to her. Tell her she needs to stay."**

**Ryan raised his eyebrows. Like he hadn't tried that. More than once. "Tried it."**

**More fidgeting of the fingers. "Lindsay's mom?"**

"**Tried it."**

"**My mom? She could talk to Lindsay?"**

"**Tried it."**

"**Just how many times have you done this?"**

"**Enough times." Ryan replied.**

"**And you're only enlisting my help -my superior help- now? Hang on; this is the first time we've done this? I mean this is the first time you've told me isn't it?"**

"**Yeah."**

**Seth flicked his fingers some more. "Grandpa? Okay, he's not the nicest human being on the planet but we could give it a shot."**

"**Tried it. Punched him."**

"**You punched Grandpa?"……….**

Ryan had turned up at the Nichol Mansion hoping to somehow enlist Caleb's help in preventing Lindsay from leaving. Caleb was in his office, sitting behind a desk littered with papers.

"Mr Nichol." Ryan greeted him, standing in the doorway.

Caleb didn't even look up. "Ryan. I assume you're helping Lindsay move. Manual labor – how fitting."

"Not exactly." Ryan managed to keep his temper under control. He was used to Caleb's taunts by now. He had bigger things to worry about than Caleb Nichol's smart remarks about his up bringing.

This time Caleb did look up. "Come to challenge me to some more pool then?" He had his usual slightly disgusted look about him. The look he always had when he addressed Ryan.

The comment stirred up anger in Ryan. Here he was trying to fix things, trying to fix the mess Caleb had ultimately started. He knew he should just leave it, try talking to Caleb about Lindsay. "No," he replied simply, his fists clenching unconsciously. "I'm here to talk about Lindsay."

Caleb stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. "My daughter is none of your business."

The dismissive ness in his voice broke any control Ryan had left. He snapped. That was when he threw the first punch. A solid right hook right into Caleb's left eye.

The older man fell back against the desk, fire raging in his eyes. "You little street thug bastard!"

That was when Ryan threw the second punch. "That's for screwing up Lindsay's life." And another. "That's for all the shit you've put Sandy and Kirsten through." And another. That one was for him. That one didn't need an explanation.

During his time with the Cohens he'd learnt that using his fists was not the solution to a problem. Not the first solution anyway. Before, he'd gotten close to hitting Caleb but he'd never followed through. Kirsten would be disappointed. Sandy would be disappointed. Lindsay would be disappointed.

But now?

Now it didn't matter.

He was confident that when he woke up to the sound of his phone ringing again all of this wouldn't have happened. Even if the old man collapsed with a heart attack like he had during the dinner with Kirsten and Lindsay, the next time Ryan saw him he'd be right back as his smug, self-righteous self.

Caleb looked up at the boy his daughter had taken in. One eye was already closing shut with bruising. The other looked almost triumphant. Finally the little gold-digging thug had done enough for him to be able to get him out of Newport. "You will not get away with this. When Kirsten hears about this –"

Ryan just shrugged and turned towards the door. Caleb could call the cops; he could call Kirsten and Sandy. The only consequence of his actions that night would be his own knowledge that he'd finally given Caleb Nichol what he deserved. And the best thing – Caleb would never have the satisfaction of knowing he'd broken Ryan.

Of course, he'd gone back the next "day" and tried again. Caleb was too much of an important factor to not try and get his help just because Ryan disliked him. Remembering the look on Caleb's face when he'd hit him and knowing that Caleb had no idea it had happened made it a lot easier to calmly stand there and try and persuade him that Lindsay needed to stay in Newport. Still hadn't helped make Lindsay stay though……

**  
Not that Ryan explained all of this to Seth. All he actually did was nod slightly to say yes, he had punched Caleb. Before Seth could jump on the story – which would mean he would be talking about it for hours – Ryan brought the conversation back to topic. "Any other bright ideas?"**

"**You need a grand romantic gesture!"**

**Ryan gave Seth a 'what the hell?' look.**

"**Okay, right. Not your thing." Suddenly his eyes lit up. "I'll talk to her!"**

"**You?"**

"**Sure. You need someone who's good with words. Remember Chrismukkah? Who persuaded Lindsay that being part of the family was a good thing? Seth Cohen, that's who. I have a way with words, Ryan. I am the man for the job!"**

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own it, just playing with itfor a while.

On with the story (finally!)...

Chapter 7.

Ryan and Seth sat in the SUV. Now that Seth didn't have to go and buy back the Summer Breeze, Ryan finally had use of the car. It certainly made a difference from cycling in the rain.

"So, if you're stuck in Groundhog Day, that makes you Bill Murray and Lindsay Andie McDowell right?"

Ryan couldn't help but look over at Seth with raised eyebrows. "You've seen the film?"

Seth sighed at him. "My mom loves that film! I can't believe you've been living with us for eighteen months and you haven't been subjected to it! The parents really must be losing their touch! Its kind of funny – you, the brooding bad boy - stuck in a romantic-comedy!"

Ryan threw a glare at Seth but Seth carried on regardless.

"Obviously if it was me, we'd be stuck in X-men or something. I'd be Wolverine. Summer would be Jean Grey. Which would make Zach Cyclops I guess, with the whole love triangle thing-"

Ryan stopped listening. Suddenly having Seth help him out didn't seem the best idea.

* * *

Ryan and Seth stood outside Lindsay's window, both soaked with rain. Ryan looked at Seth hesitantly. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes. Me and you. Perfect partnership. A little tag-team is all we need."

Ryan wasn't convinced Seth talking to Lindsay was the best way to go. But it was something he hadn't tried. At this point, anything was worth a try. Well, almost anything. His mind drifted back to their conversation in the car.

_Seth had finally gotten passed the whole him, Summer and Zach X-men analogy and was now throwing out suggestions of how they could get Lindsay to stay in Newport. "We could change the DNA results."_

_Ryan tilted his head sideways with his 'yeah, cos that's gonna work' look._

"_Seriously. A little stealth and Lindsay never has to know Grandpa is her dad."_

"_Stealth? Yeah. I'll turn the car round so you can get your black polo neck," Ryan deadpanned. " Yeah, great idea Seth."_

"_I'm good at the stealth! May I remind you of all camp capture the flag at Camp Tuckahoe. The stealth and me are like this." He crossed his fingers and wave them at Ryan to emphasise his connection with the stealth. "And I'm better at it than you. Do I have to remind you of the Oliver records incident?"_

_Ryan glared at Seth for a moment. "If we change the DNA result Lindsay will have even less of a reason to stay."_

In comparison to that idea, Seth talking to Lindsay seemed like a good way to go about things.

Ryan knocked on the window. He could hear rustlings from the bedroom so knocked louder. The blinds went up and there Lindsay stood in her pyjamas of a vest and shorts.

She pulled up the window. "Ryan? Seth? What are you doing here?" She stood aside as they both climbed though the window.

"We, Aunt Lindsay," Seth seemed to be the only one who could find comedy in the whole Lindsay being Caleb's illegitimate daughter saga. "Are here to right some wrongs."

Hastily grabbing her robe, Lindsay turned and raised her eyebrows, looking over at Ryan. "Did he forget to take his meds this morning?"

Seth scrunched his face up slightly. "I was taken off the ADHD medication a couple of years ago thank you very much. Apparently my levels of hyperactivity are well within the normal range-"

"Seth," Ryan interrupted, keeping his tone calm but adding enough emphasis to hopefully get Seth back onto the topic of why they were there.

Seth threw his hands up slightly. "Right, right. Okay, so remember Chrismukkah?"

"How could I forget?" Lindsay smirked. Ryan sat down on the edge of the bed and she sat down next to him.

"Remember what I told you about being a Cohen?"

"Yeah, a life of insecurity and self-doubt. Thanks for reminding me of all this by the way!"

Ryan squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Just hear him out." Hear Seth out? Those words had previously been filed under things Ryan never thought he'd hear himself say. Right there next to saying Julie Cooper-Nichol was a nice person or Kirsten Cohen was a great cook. Even Seth looked a little shell-shocked at hearing Ryan say those words.

"The point is that you are family and-"

"We don't know that until the DNA results come back." Lindsay added in.

" Sheesh, you interrupt more than Summer! Good thing Ryan here isn't much of a talker."

"Seth…" Ryan repeated, using the same emphasis as before. He might not talk that much, although he talked more this year than last, but every word he said was important. Unlike Seth.

"Okay, okay. Point is, Grandpa's most likely your dad, and even if he isn't, my family's cool with the non-blood relatives. Take Ryan for example. Not that I'm suggesting anything incestuous by him being family and you being family-"

"Seth!" Lindsay and Ryan exclaimed at the same time. Ryan was starting to regret letting Seth come talk to Lindsay and he was definitely regretting ever suggesting she should hear Seth out.

"Seriously! A guy comes to help out his best friend and aunt and all he gets is interruptions. If didn't already know I was getting Summer back I'd be having important places to be right now."

Lindsay looked at Ryan quizzically. "I thought Summer was going to Italy with Zach."

Ryan could feel the slight panic crossing his face. It was a feeling he always got when he knew he was going to have to lie. "She is?" He half asked, half stated.

Luckily Seth jumped in. "I have this whole boat thing planned," he covered. "Which means I have enough time to sort out your problems." Seth Cohen thinking of others before himself? Even he was concerned by the idea. "So, the thing with family is that we stick together. Which means no leaving, no going anywhere, because here's the thing: when people leave they don't come back and that would be bad. For Ryan here, for my mom, even for Grandpa."

Lindsay looked between Ryan and Seth. She squeezed Ryan's hand tightly. "You brought Seth here this early in the morning to tell me not to go to Chicago? But I told you yesterday that I'm not going anywhere."

All Ryan could do was stare into her eyes, searching for something in them that made the response different to all of the other times he'd heard her say it. Nothing seemed different.

"So cool," Seth started, filling the silence. "You're not going anywhere. Great, wonderful, mission accomplished!"

Lindsay stared back at Ryan. "I'm not going anywhere," she repeated.

He nodded slightly, still not entirely convinced but conscious of Seth bouncing around the room.

Lindsay stood up and walked back over to the window. "So, how about you guys leave and let me take a shower."

Seth looked worriedly at Ryan, as if to say 'should we be leaving her alone?'

As much as Ryan really didn't want to leave, he'd learnt the hard way that stalker tactics were not the best approach. He nodded, "We could go get some breakfast?"

Seth seemed to calm at Ryan's response. "I have been feeling a little out of sorts without my bagel fix." Seth could never just say 'yeah' or 'okay.' He made his way to the now open window.

Ryan watched Seth climb out into the rain before pulling Lindsay in for a quick kiss. Seth started heading towards the car but Ryan just stood in the rain watching Lindsay close the window and draw the blind. There was no way it could be this simple. He'd tried so many times, so many ways, to get Lindsay to stay in Newport. Could Seth talking to her really be the magical cure to the problem?

"Ryan!" Seth shouted, reaching the car.

He turned away from the window. At least today was different. Even he didn't accomplish anything at least he had that.

At least he had Seth.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer – don't own any of it.

Well this is it, finally. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Chapter 8.

Ryan lay on his bed, trying to untangle the events of the day. He was flat on his back in his favorite brooding position. One arm behind his head, the other absently tossing a miniature football up into the air. It curved upwards in an arc before succumbing to the forces of gravity and returning to earth. Up, down. Up, down. The conversations of the day lay heavy on his mind. One conversation in particular.

"You said you wouldn't leave," he'd stated calmly. They stood in her room, surrounded by partially packed boxes. It was obvious to Ryan that Seth's speech that morning hadn't worked.

The look in Lindsay's eyes showed regret. 'I can't stay," she replied quietly.

"You can." He took her gently by each arm and forced her to look directly at him. Finally, he said aloud the words that had become his personal internal mantra.

"What can I do to make you stay?"

Lindsay sighed and leant her head forwards so that her forehead rested on his. She looked as tired of this day as he felt. "Go back sixteen years and stop Caleb Nichol being my father. Go back to Chrismukkah and stop me ever finding out that my father is still alive." There were tears welling in her eyes now.

Ryan rubbed his hands up and down her arms comfortingly but also to try and remove the frustration building in him. He only had today. He could only change things today.

"Today," he stated more calmly than he felt. "What could I have done today to change your mind? What could Seth have done, or Kirsten, or your mom, or Caleb?" There was forcefulness to his voice. But he had to know. He'd tried so many times, so many different ways. He'd even got Seth on the case, against his better judgment. Literally, he had tried everything. "What could I have done to change your mind?" he repeated again.

Lindsay pulled away from him, turning her back to him slightly. "It's too late Ryan. What's done is done. And as much as it hurts to leave you-"

Ryan cut her off. "No!" he exclaimed, his hands clenching. "There has to be something. Something different. Something I can do!"

He watched as her eyes seemed to change, as if a switch was being turned on. Gone was the girl who had taken over Lindsay's body way back on that fateful Chrismukkah night. In front of him stood the fiery, confident, opinionated young woman who had managed to simultaneously annoy and enthrall him from their first meeting in the student lounge. She looked directly at him. "You can't fix this Ryan. This isn't about you!"

_This isn't about you._

_This isn't about you._

But it had to be. He was the one reliving the day. He was the person caught in the crazy Bill Murray nightmare.

He thought of the conversation he'd had with Seth a little while ago

"Wow. That was just wow! For once I almost feel speechless!"

Ryan had rolled his eyes as Seth bounced into the room, interrupting his quiet brooding. He plunged into one of his trademark monologues. Not exactly speechless.

"The rain, and the hanging upside, and the kissing. I definitely don't mind living this day over and over!"

The idea alone brought out a glare in Ryan's eyes.

Seth caught it, and instead of carrying on regardless as he usually did he actually stopped talking about himself. "Things didn't go well with Lindsay?"

Understatement of the century. "No." Briefly he explained how Seth's speech that morning hadn't changed anything.

Seth stood contemplating for a moment. He shrugged. "Maybe Lindsay's not the thing you're meant to change," he offered hesitantly, holding his hands in the air in a 'don't punch the messenger' gesture.

_Maybe Lindsay's not the thing you're meant to change._

If he'd had the chance there were a lot of things in his life he'd like to have had the chance to change. A lot of days he'd like the chance to try again. Choosing to climb into the stolen car with his brother, the night with Theresa, the day he decided to move back to Chino with Theresa. But the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to change those days. If he hadn't gotten in the car with Trey he'd have never ended up with the Cohens, something he was grateful for every day that he woke in the pool house. As for Theresa, well actually using some form of protection or not even sleeping with her would have reduced the chances of him being the baby's father. Maybe if he done things differently, he and Marissa would still be together. But the more he looked back on their whole relationship the more he realized how much drama Marissa had brought with her. Drama he didn't want and definitely didn't need. Plus, if he was still with Marissa he would have never gotten together with Lindsay. Despite all the Caleb father drama of that relationship he still didn't wish their relationship hadn't happened.

The more he thought about it the more he realized that the things he thought of as bad in the last two years of his life hadn't really been that bad. They'd led him to where he was. And where he was wasn't that bad at all.

"_Our deeds still travel with us from afar,  
__And what we have been  
__Makes us what we are_." – George Eliot.

Fate. Seth thought he and Summer were fated to be together. Maybe fate was trying to teach him something. Maybe it wasn't the path that needed to be changed. Maybe it wasn't the events that needed to be changed. Maybe it was how he saw the events in his life that needed to change.

It was then that it hit him. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He just needed another twenty-four hours.

"_We've still got twenty four hours  
And now we're closing in,  
We've still got twenty four hours  
It's not over  
It's not over  
We've still got twenty four hours  
It's not over  
It's not over yet  
We've still got twenty four hours."_ – Athlete. Twenty Four Hours.

Epilogue.

Ryan woke to the sound of his phone ringing. The sound itself killed any energy he had left. It saturated his muscles with resignation and removed all possibility of him getting out of bed.

It hadn't worked.

He thought he'd finally worked out how to end this everlasting day and it hadn't worked.

Ryan had relived the entire day, just as it had happened the first time. When he stood at the pier in the rain looking out at the ocean with Marissa by his side he'd finally felt something different.

Relief.

He'd thought he'd finally changed something. Himself. It was the only thing he hadn't changed. He'd thought he could fix things. He'd thought it was his fault Lindsay was leaving. But it really wasn't. Everything was so much bigger than him.

But here he was, lying in bed with the phone ringing, stuck in the same everlasting day. The phone stopped ringing and he lay there waiting for Seth's ever punctual entrance into the pool house.

Then something strange happened.

Something crazy strange.

Something different.

His phone started ringing again. He couldn't help but stare at the tiny, pulsing silver object ringing on his bedside table. The phone was ringing again. He flipped it open.

"Seriously dude, start answering your phone!"

"Seth?" Ryan had never been so happy to hear Seth talk.

"So, you know how I told you about Summer last night?" Seth began. "Well she stayed the night and now the parents are up and I need a distraction to get Summer out of the house. After the whole sneaking out to Alex's – Ow!"

Ryan could hear Summer in the background bitching about Seth mentioning his ex-girlfriend and Seth trying to placate her before her rage blackout went full force.

"Seth?"

"Dude, I need you to create a distraction so I can get Summer out of the house."

But Ryan wasn't listening. He was up and pulling at the pool house blinds. Bright sunshine made him squint as he looked over at the main house. Kirsten and Sandy were standing around the kitchen island sipping on mugs of coffee.

"Ryan?"

And Ryan smiled.

_Fin._


End file.
